Hudson maxim



UNITED STATES PATENT raise.

HUDSON MAXIM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF MAKENG CHLQRATE BLASTING POWDER SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 512.042, dated January 2, 1894.

Application filed February 19, 1893.

To all whom it may con-corn.-

Be it; known th'aifI, HUDSON MAXIM, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, 'haveinvented certain newand useful improvements in themanufacture of chlorate blasting-powders or explosive compounds in whichchlorate of potash is an ingredient, of which the following' is adescription.

This invention relates to a preliminary treatment of the chlorate ofpotash by combining it in a special manner with another oxygen bearingsalt or salts prior to its incorporation with the combustibleconstituents of the said powder.

Chlorate of potash, from the enormous energy developed by it whencombining in explosion with combustible elements, has always oiferedgreat inducements for the manufacture of blasting powders, but thereadiness with which chlorate of potash will give up its oxygen to anycombustible substance, as sulphur or carbon, with'which it isincorporated, has heretofore rendered the manufacture and useiofexplosive compounds containing chlorate of potash'so eminently dangerousas to practically bar its introduction and use; slight friction orpercussion often being all that is necessary to explode most of suchcompounds.

Others have proven to be unsafe from a tendency to spontaneouscombustion. To overcome thisinnate quality of chlorate of potashnumerous attempts have been made to lessen the sensitive character ofchlorate mixtures" by reducing the chlorate of potash to a fine state ofdivision and coating it with paraiiinc prior to its incorporation withsulphur, charcoal, or other combustible materials, or by mixing the samewith some liquid combustible element, as coal tar, which shall in ameasure act as a lubricant between the particles of the chlorate tolessen its susceptibility to friction and percussion. Another method hasbeen to prepare the chlorate and ship it separately in cartridges, andto soak these cartridges just before using with nitro henzole or somehydrocarbon oil. All of such methods have proven in practice to beeither altogetherinefiicient in the attainment of the desired results,or to be too tedious to be carried out practically in use.

In carrying out my invention I fuse to: goth er chlorate of potash andsome other oxy- Berinl No. 422,153. (No specimensas nitrate of soda;'Ithen add to the nitrate of soda chlorate of potash, and when the chicrate of potash has fully dissolved or melted in the liquid nitrate, Idecent and allow the compound to cool. If chlorate of potash be heatedat too high a temperature, it will give oif'a portion of its oxygen andbecome chloride of potash; therefore if the chlorate and nitrate bemixed together before melting either of them, or the chlorate be meltedfirst and the nitrate added thereto, danger of loss of oxygen would beincurred. I therefore prefer to proceed in the above manner, al-

though the object of my invention would not be defeatedwere I to proceedin any of the other ways. I have found that when chlorate of potash andniter are fused together and cooled as above described, the chlorate andniter become very intimately combinedthat is, each molecule or particleof the chlorate becomes separated from every other molecule or particleof the chlorate by an intermediate molecule or particle of the nitrate;and the, chlorate thus becomes coated or suspended by the nitrate in amuch more efficientand intimate manner than would be possible by anyother means. 'I may add one part of nitrate to ten parts of chlorate ofpotash, or one part of chlorate of potash to ten parts of nitrate, orcombine them in equal parts, or in fact in any proportion that may befound in practice to be most desirable; the sensitiveness of thechlorate being lessened in direct proportion to the quantity of nitratewith which it is combined; but I have found equal parts or more ofnitrate combined with chlorate, all things considered, to be the mostdesirable. When the c lorate and nitrate, say in equal parts, are asabovecoinbined and pulverized, and mixed with sulphur and charcoal inthe usual proportions, as fifteen parts sulphur, ten parts charcoal, toseventy-five parts of the oxygen bearing salts, the same may betriturated in a stone mortar with astone pestle without danger ofignition from friction and may be treated or handled in any way withequivalent safety as ordinary black powder in which chlorate of potashis not'employed. The explosive compound may be wet and dried withoutbeing dangerous, from the efflorescence of the chlorate upon the surfaceof the particles or grains, as the nitrate being more susceptible to theaction of moist.- ure than the chlorate is more active in. itseiilorescence than the chlorate, thereby stili maintaining the safety ofthe compound from friction or percussion.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In the manufacture of an explosive compound, theprocess, as herein described, of fusing together chlorate of potash withanother oxygen bearing salt such as nitrate of soda or nitrate ofpotash.

2. In the manufacture of an explosive compound, the herein describedprocess which consists in combining in a state of fusion chlorate ofpotash and nitrate of soda or potash, then cooling the same and reducingtoa fine state of division priorto the admixture of combustibleelements.

3. The herein described method of combining chlorate of potash and anoxygen bearing salt, which consists in first fusing the oxygen bearingsalt such as nitrate of soda or potash and then adding the chlorate ofpotash to the fused nitrate. v

In witness whereof I have signed my name, in the presence of twowitnesses, this 15th day of February, 1892.

HUDSON MAXIM.

Witnesses:

Gno. H. GRAHAM, N. MARTIN.

